Authorities have suspended their search for a 4-year-old boy who they say was swept out to sea while walking with his mother on a North Carolina beach.

The U.S. Coast Guard tells media outlets the boy and his mother were walking along the shore in Kitty Hawk on Wednesday afternoon when a wave hit the boy and carried him out into the ocean. Officials say the mother ultimately lost sight of her son as he went further from the shore. WVEC reports the family was vising the Outer Banks on vacation.

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A surfer told reporters that the water was rougher than normal and that the boy didn't stand a chance on his own.

"A tragic accident occurred today in Kitty Hawk," Kitty Hawk policeposted on Facebook. "Under the watchful eye of the attending parents while walking along the shore, a four-year-old boy was swept from his mother into the ocean and carried away by the current. As parents, this is our worst nightmare, even for those of us who love and have grown up by the ocean. Please join us in thought and prayer for this family as we mourn with them the loss and give thanks for the well-being of our own children."

A helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City and Coast Guard boats from the Oregon Inlet station together combed 130 square miles before suspending the search at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

On Thursday, Kitty Hawk police announced that search efforts were being transitioned into recovery efforts.

"Continued well wishes and calls for peace are welcomed. We will pass all of them along to the family. Please continue to join us in thought and prayer as we mourn with them this tragic loss," a message posted by police on Facebook read.

The boy has not been publicly identified.

One Kitty Hawk resident said she was terrified by news of the boy being swept out to sea.

"It's so sad, I can't even imagine. I think about my babies now, and I mean it makes me want to cry, terrible," said Megan Rubino.